Our Numair Story
by Kateranie
Summary: This is a story dedicated to our hero, Numair. Takes place after Lady Knight. Tortall is in danger and Numair must come to the rescue again! There's only one problem; he can't use his magic! PG for slight violence. Please R & R
1. Orange Fog

Note: This story was written by three people, so if it doesn't flow that well-Sorry!!  
  
Disclaimer: We sadly don't own any of these characters; they are the great Tamora Pierce's.  
  
  
  
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Numair stood on the battlements of the castle. His hand absently traced patterns on the grey stone. He peered down at the bustling city of Tortall below him, then he looked up at the darkening skyline.  
  
"Strange, very strange," he muttered to himself. He noticed, despite his scatterbrainess, that an orange fog was going to set in that night. He did a double take and gripped the stone in a death crushing grip. "Orange!' he exclaimed…  
  
The sound of stone crashing into the ground jerked him back to reality. He sighed as he looked at the ruined wall, and cast a restorative spell before stalking back into the palace and rushing back to his rooms "Daine!" he yelled, "We have a problem."  
  
Daine sat up lazily and looked at him. "What is it this time?" she asked. "A miscast spell or lack of hair gel?"  
  
"No, this is serious," he said, "We have an orange fog."  
  
Seconds later, the lanky black mage was racing down the palace corridors. He turned into a wing and burst though a small wooden door.   
  
Keladry of Mindelan jumped in surprise as she sprung from her stance. She had been practicing with her glaive, which hung absently by her waist.  
  
"Get Alanna. I'll tell the King. It's an emergency."  
  
"Daine?" He shook his head, "Alright, I'll get my things." She hastily tossed the slender pole arm to Numair who fumbled and almost dropped the weapon. He held it awkwardly in his hands.  
  
After the panic had subsided, Numair stood in the thrown room opposite the King and Queen. Next to him stood Daine, and the other important people of the castle. Daine was frantic, she wasn't sure if the orange fog was effecting the animals or not.   
  
"Please, can I go!" she pleaded with Jonathan.  
  
"Fine, but be back soon in case we need you here!" he replied.  
  
Daine gave Numair a quick goodbye glance, and tore out of the room to help her friends  
  
Meanwhile, the rest of the group had a more pressing problem.   
  
"Orange, orange, orange," said Queen Thayet, "I don't think I know anyone with orange magic."  
  
"I do" said the King, glancing at Alanna, "or at least I did."  
  
"Roger of Conté had orange magic," said Alanna, "but, believe me, he's dead, he can't come back to life twice."  
  
Suddenly Numair had a brilliant idea.  
  
"Maybe the magic isn't really orange…"  
  
Without another word, Alanna bolted out of the room. A second later she burst back in.  
  
"Green," she panted "the magic is dark green."  
  
"What's this mean?" asked Kel.  
  
"It means," said Numair, "That we have a powerful mage on our hands, a powerful mage who wants us to believe that Roger of Conté is alive. 


	2. Atrella

Note: This story is written by three people, so if it doesn't flow well-Sorry!!  
  
Disclaimer: We sadly don't own any of these characters. They are the great Tamora Pierce's  
  
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Then Numair gazed off at a spot that no one else saw, "Why didn't I think to cast a truth spell!" he grumbled," It would have saved us a lot of time."  
  
"But then I wouldn't have seen that cool necklace of Alanna's!" Kel said, "What exactly does it do?"   
  
Alanna replied, "It shows the true magical aura that things have-"  
  
"Wow," Kel cut her off.  
  
Numair broke in, "Who cares! Tell her about it some other time; we have a problem on our hands!"  
  
Alanna rolled her eyes, but Jonathan restrained her with his glare.   
  
"I think the main thing we have to do right now is worry about that fog and its sender." Jonathan said calmly. "Myles, go look in the records and make a list of mages who have dark green magic." Myles of Olau, Alanna's father, nodded and walked off toward the library. "As for this fog, we're going to need some serious mage power. Kel, go get whatever Master Numair needs to examine this fog." She made a face, but walked over to Numair, who gave her instructions. She then raced off to his room. "In the meantime," Jonathan added, "Numair, Alanna, and Duke Baird, please follow me into the next room. We need to decide what to do about this fog."  
  
The office was round and large with simple fixings and a table at the center. Already sitting were Domitan and Sir Evin Larse. Evin smiled and stood while Numair gave Dom a questioned glance, then he looked at Baird.  
  
"Neal?" he asked.  
  
"He's still helping the last of the refugees up by the Scanra border." He looked at Jonathan who nodded.   
  
"Get me Sir Neal, now!" Jon said. Evin stood and left.  
  
Kel burst into the room, a look of outrage on her face, "You didn't tell me you were going to a new room!" She shoved the numerous odds and ends she was carrying at Numair, who promptly dropped them with a bang! They all glared at Numair, just then Kel realized that Dom was there, she grinned at him, He grinned back.  
  
Jon called them back to reality "Now about that fog!"  
  
"Maybe you should assure the people in Chorus that they are safe?" George put in. He was visiting the castle with Alanna for a retreat from Pirate's Swoop, but it looked like more grim work to him.  
  
"But what if it isn't safe!" Dom questioned. Numair smacked his head with his hand, "I should have checked if it was safe!"  
  
Jon glanced at Numair.  
  
"That's your job, isn't it?" Numair blushed, and selected a small object from the pile of odds Kel had brought. Everyone watched him with interest and a bit of fear. The mage slowly placed the round metal pendant around his slender neck. Evin came in with a thin package under his arm. The paper and twine flew from Evin to Jon's outstretched hands. Evin gasped as Numair smirked and closed his eyes, beginning the spell.  
  
Sir Myles choose this moment to burst into the meeting. He looked slightly out of breath.  
  
"What is it?" Jonathan asked, puzzled.  
  
"There's no such record of dark green magic in Tortall," he gasped, "There's no one on record with dark green magic in the entire country, but I did read something about there being lots of strange colored magic in Tusaine, though."  
  
Jonathan looked around slowly, "Does anyone know of a mage in Tusaine?" Everyone looked Numair who was still trying to focus on his spell. Suddenly the bowl he was working in exploded, and Numair pounded his fist on the table.  
  
"Now I have to start over!" he sulked. "I know a Tusainian Mage with green magic. I studied with her in Carthack. She's one of the seven other black robe mages, and she's certainly powerful enough to cause what's happening to us."  
  
"And her name is..." asked Alanna, trying to restrain herself from getting angry at him.  
  
"Hmmmm? Oh!" he said, "her name is Atrella Odhrán."  
  
Myles dashed back off to the library. 


	3. Problems

This story was written by three Tortall fans; so if it doesn't flow that well-sorry! We were passing it around, not writing it together.   
  
Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns the characters, we sadly do not. Except perhaps for Atrella Odhrán. But then again, no one can REALLY own her…  
  
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        Myles arrived back in the room a little while later to find Numair working on his spell again. Myles tipped a stack of books he was carrying on to the table. Everyone reached out to grab one.   
  
        "If you could all turn to the spots I have book marked," he said with a sneer. Alanna gave Jon a puzzled look, then gasped.  
  
        "There's nothing here, it is all blank!"  
  
        "Exactly," Sir Myles replied "Everything about Tusaine has been erased!"  
  
        "Of course it has," Numair said, "Like I said, Atrella is a black robe mage. She's not stupid enough to leave information just lying about in the libraries about her. I've erased all the information about myself too."   
  
        Everyone gave him a puzzled look. Then Jonathan picked up one of the books, Great Mages of the Modern World, and flipped to the place where Numair would have been, and sure enough, it was blank too.  
  
        Myles gave him an annoyed look and said, "How is the country supposed to remember you hundreds of years from now, if all information about you is gone?"  
  
        "Well, it will all comeback when I die, of course." Numair said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.   
  
        "Alright," Jon began hastily. "It's just a fog, and we aren't sure if it is Atrella. Do all you can to keep Tortall calm. In the meantime, everyone get some rest."  
  
        They left the meeting. Numair strode slowly to the stables. He caught a glimpse of Stefan the hostler before he dashed away. Daine looked up and smiled. She seemed calm, but Numair caught her glancing nervously around. He held her stare. She jerked, but he couldn't leave off.   
  
        "I hate it when you do this." she murmured. He let her go.  
  
        "It's just a fog… for now. Calm down" She nodded slightly, her curls bouncing.  
  
        "I think the animals are fine. She turned to the stables and the horses. Numair guessed she was talking to them when he saw some of the steeds, including Peachblossom, Hoshi, and Cloud whinny and nod.  
  
        Daine threw her arms around Cloud and stroked her soft flank. Numair seeing she needed some time to herself, left silently. He made his way back up to the castle slowly. It was completely dark now, a night with no moon, Numair thought. Darkness is in the making. He threw his head back and stared up at the stars. He was mesmerized by the points of light illuminating the inky blackness. As he was captivated, Daine came up behind him and said, "Just when all the trouble was dying down, something else comes up." Numair sighed, and nodded his head in agreement.  
  
        Daine slightly leaned on Numair as he embraced her shoulders with his large hand. They started toward the palace.  
  
        On the steps in front of a large door, sat Kel. Some kind of yellow feathers covered her eyes as she stared at the sky. Numair and Daine stopped, looking at her curiously.   
  
        Sensing them, Kel slid the griffin feathers down.  
  
        "It really is green isn't it?" she smiled. Numair nodded looking up. He didn't know why he still saw it as orange.  
  
        "May I see those?" he asked. Standing up, Kel handed the feathers over which were secured on a wide cloth. Numair placed the feathers over his eyes and looked up.  
  
        "You see it as orange?" Daine asked confused.  
  
        "It's very strong magic." He murmured. He took the cloth down and lifted his brows. "Kel, you…you're tainted with magic!" he exclaimed.  
  
        "I don't have magic." She said quizzically.  
  
        "Either you've got some now, or you've been spelled."  
  
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Please R&R! we really appreciate it! Thanks to everyone who already has! 


	4. Blackness

This story was written by three Tortall fans; so if it doesn't flow that well-sorry! We were passing it around, not writing it together.   
  
Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns the characters, we sadly do not. Except perhaps for Atrella Odhrán. But then again no one can REALLY own her…  
  
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Kel stared at him stupidly, "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.  
  
"It means that someone has cast a spell on you," Numair said, "Have you let down your guard recently, slept outside in the woods all alone?"  
  
"Of course not!" Kel yelled. "I'm a knight."  
  
That doesn't matter Numair," Daine cut in, "We need to find out what it is, and take it off."  
  
'Numair, hurry up!" Kel said, "What is it doing to me?"  
  
Numair raised his hands and put them between her head and his magic pulsed between them. "It's a tracing spell," he said when he was done. "A tracing spell cast with dark green magic."  
  
"What!" Kel roared, "Get it off me!"  
  
"Before I do that, I want to find out where it is being traced from," Numair explained.  
  
"Fine! But hurry!" Kel yelled, while Daine tried to calm her. Once again Numair raised his hands. Black fire was building around his fingers, dancing in the starlight. He flicked his pointer fingers at Kel, but nothing happened.  
  
'Strange," Numair muttered, "Very strange," for the second time that day.  
  
"What?" Kel and Daine said in unison.  
  
"Something deflected my spell, something very powerful..." his voice trailed off. "Let me try again." The fire built up in his hands, and Daine had to turn away from its brilliance. Numair made a violent flicking motion, and the magic exploded in his face, and his world went black!  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Fine, but that was quite a blow."  
  
"You'd think, he's been asleep for three days!"  
  
"Long enough for me to return though."  
  
Numair's eyes flicked open at this point.  
  
"Three days?" he croaked.  
  
"He's awake! Get Daine!" someone shouted. A man strode over. He was dressed in travel clothes and still wore a ration sack girdled on his waist. He looked like a knight, but Numair could see strands of The Gift covering him.  
  
The man was young. His features were angular. Numair looked up into bright hazel eyes. The healer's mousy hair was slicked back from a widow's peak. Nealand of Queenscove, Duke Baird's son, stood over Numair.  
  
"I'm Neal," he joked with the tone of voice that one usually reserves for four-year-olds. "What did you do? It must have been pretty bad to cause this."  
  
Numair scowled. "I didn't do anything. Someone backfired my spell I was casting on Kel." His eyes bulged, "Kel! She has a tracing spell on her. Someone could be-"  
  
"We already took care of that," Neal said, "Daine saw what happened and took you both to the palace, then we took the spell off of her."  
  
"Who was it?" Numair asked.  
  
Neal's brow furrowed, "What do you mean? Who took the spell off, or-"  
  
"Who cast the spell in the first place?" Numair cut in, "Please tell me you found out who cast the spell in the first place."  
  
Neal made a face. "After what happened to you, we figured it was too dangerous to attempt to do anything like that, so we just took it off."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Yeah, The King, my father and myself"  
  
"How did you do it? Did you feel any strange tingling in your knuckles while you cast it?"  
  
Numair continued to drill Neal about the spell until Daine came in.  
  
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Thank you everyone for reading. We really appreciate it. Please keep it up!! 


	5. One Week

This story was written by three Tortall fans; so if it doesn't flow that well-sorry! We were passing it around, not writing it together.   
  
Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns the characters, we sadly do not. Except perhaps for Atrella Odhrán. But then again no one can REALLY own her…  
  
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"Daine!" Neal said, "How are the animals?"  
  
"The animals!" Daine screeched, "How is Numair!?"  
  
"I'm fine..." Numair said, but he tried to sit up and fell back down. "...Just weak," He added sourly.   
  
Daine threw her arm around him and said, "I'm so glad you're ok, when you just fell over like that, I was so worried. I just thought, what if he's not OK, what am I going to do? I'm just glad you're all right, wait, you are all right, right?"  
  
"Magelet," Numair cut her off, "I'm fine. Really." he added after the assessing look Daine gave him.  
  
He tried to sit up, but Neal rushed over franticly and shoved him back down. "Hold on!" he said while bright green light protruded from his finger tips and encircled Numair in a soft, radiant glow. His spell being cast, he lowered his hand, and helped Numair stand up slowly.  
  
"Healers." Numair commented with admiration. Then he smiled at Daine.  
  
"You too. It's amazing. I can change shape, and turn people into trees, but I could never heal someone's broken leg like you both can."  
  
Daine hugged him again. "I'm so glad you're back, I missed you," she said. Then more privately, she whispered in his ear, "I have some news." She then stood up and talked to Neal about Numair's condition. After a minute, her eyes widened and she looked at Numair and grimaced, then left.  
  
Numair stared at the door, then shook his head. "Neal?" he asked, "How much longer before I can leave?"  
  
"I'd give yourself another two or three hours before you start walking again," he said, "When you are up and about again, I'm supposed to take you to Their Majesties. Many things have happened in the last three days, and they need to see you soon."  
  
Numair sighed, relieved, then started to lay back down.  
  
"One more thing," Neal said. "No magic for a week."  
  
Numair's mouth dropped open. "What! But the fog! My magic!" Numair gasped.  
  
"You're drained anyway." Neal began. "That blow took it out of you."  
  
Numair looked down at himself and gasped. "Neal I can't even see mine anymore!" he said.  
  
"What? Oh, your magic. Of course not, I've put a damper spell on you. It does affect your magic strength somewhat, but it will help bring it back sooner. Besides, I told you, one week and I'll remove it."   
  
Numair lay on the bed sulking. "One week!?" he shouted.  
  
Finally, after a whole lot of fussing Numair was let out. He sat at one of the lunch tables with his head in his hands.  
  
//One week! Without my magic!// he thought, //Impossible! We have a problem on our hands, and all they can think of is my health. I am perfectly fine!// He picked up a spoon full of healer prescribed soup, and ate it. After he put the spoon back down, his arm was already tired. //OK,// he thought, //So maybe I need a little more rest first, but no more than a day!//  
  
As if reading his thoughts, Daine came over and sat by him. "Why the long face?" she asked, but without waiting for a reply she continued, "I know a week is a long time, but you need to recover if we're going to catch this mage. Besides, what if it just turns out to be harmless and goes away by tomorrow? Then you would be injured for no reason."  
  
As if in answer to this question, Dom burst into the room and let out a loud yell, "I've just been down to the city. All the water is poisoned, and people are getting sick right and left!"  
  
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Thank you everyone for reading. We really appreciate it. Please keep it up!! 


	6. The Water is What?

This story was written by three Tortall fans; so if it doesn't flow that well-sorry! We were passing it around, not writing it together.   
  
Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns the characters, we sadly do not. Except perhaps for Atrella Odhrán. But then again no one can REALLY own her...  
  
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Everyone just stared at him. After a while, Jonathan stood up and said, "Could everyone I talked to four days ago please come with me now." He then turned and walked toward the door with Thayet on his arm. All the people he met with followed him out.  
  
Back in the 'meeting' room, Jonathan started talking about the problem.   
  
They all sat there. They didn't want to talk, but go and help, especially Numair who sat uneasy in his chair. //One week!// he thought. Jon did not sit, but stood up alone.   
  
"Well-" he began.  
  
"Kel!" Alanna burst in. No one had noticed that she was gone. Kel abruptly stood up, the chair behind her flying across the room. A thin body was draped over Alanna's shoulder. The boy's straw hair clung to his sweat soaked face. His eyes were bloodshot.   
  
"Tobe!" Kel screamed, and rushed over, taking the scrawny figure from Alanna.   
  
"The water," Alanna gasped.  
  
Kel carefully sat back in her chair, gently draping Tobe over her lap. He was breathing very faintly. Duke Baird rushed up to him.   
  
"We have to put a ban on the water or evacuate the city." Jon stated.  
  
Alanna looked worried, "But what if I isn't just in Chorus, what if all of Tortall is poisoned!"  
  
"I'll check it out if you want me to," Daine put in. Numair gave her a fleeting look, then decided not to protest, given that he couldn't do anything himself. "I'll go right away," she continued, "I should be back by dinner." With that she rushed away to shape change.  
  
"Now about the water," Jonathan said once she had left. "What can we do?" He looked at Numair. Numair crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Jon then looked at the other people until Alanna jumped up to her feet and yelled, "I got it! Jon, you can use the Dominion Jewel to stop the poisoning of the water until tomorrow morning. In the meantime, Nu- I mean, some mages could check how the water has poisoned and by whom."  
  
Numair sulked and listened absently while details were laid out.   
  
"Wait a minute," Myles said, "What if Daine comes back and says that the whole country is contaminated. What will we do then?"  
  
"We'll just have to deal with that if it happens. Let's just focus on what's at hand."  
  
Everyone report back if you get any news," Jon finished.  
  
That jerked Numair out of his trance. While Jonathan dismissed everyone, Numair just sat there thinking. //Daine said she had news, he thought, what did she want to tell me?//  
  
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Please review our story! 


	7. Control

This story was written by three Tortall fans; so if it doesn't flow that well-sorry! We were passing it around, not writing it together.   
  
Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns the characters, we sadly do not. Except perhaps for Atrella Odhrán. But then again no one can REALLY own her...  
  
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Numair walked up to his room and slowly opened the door. He smiled, Daine hadn't left yet. She sat at a desk, writing on a piece of parchment. He came over to look at an intricate drawing of the anatomy of a horse.  
  
"That's interesting," Numair said, not really meaning it.  
  
"Yes, it is," Daine said halfheartedly.  
  
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Numair questioned. Daine repled, "I have been doing a lot of shape changing lately, and... well, it has been harder each time to go back to my human shape..." her voice trailed off.  
  
"I'll renew the barrier," Numair replied, "It should be fine after that. In fact, I'll do it right now!" Then his face fell, "I cant do magic for a week! Then I can't renew your barrier until then!" Daine groaned. "You can't shape change until then, I'm afraid," Numair added. "It's too dangerous, and I'm concerned for you."  
  
Daine made a face, but she accepted what he said. "Now I have to go tell Jonathan that I can't help him check the countryside." She sighed. "That's not all my news," she said slowly. "It's King Jonathan."  
  
"What?" Numair said. "What's wrong with him?"  
  
"Nothing, I hope," she said, "but when I was checking on the animals the other day, I was flying over the forest. I saw Jonathan in it alone, and when I flew closer, I saw that he was talking to someone, but no one was there. Then he seemed to struggle with something and then he stopped abruptly and raced back to the castle. What's wrong with him? Is he crazy?"  
  
Numair thought for a minute, then his eyes widened and his fists clenched. "Atrella," he murmured under his breath.  
  
"What?" Daine asked.  
  
"Atrella," he said again louder.  
  
"Do you think that she talked to him?" Daine asked.  
  
"No," he said slowly, "That's not her style. She probably cast some sort of spell on him. Let's see, what kind of spell would she cast? Memory erasing? Yes, probably, what else? Come on Numair, think! Maybe she attacked him. I wouldn't put it past her..."  
  
"But Jon has The Gift, he can protect himself," Daine said.  
  
Numair smiled coldly, "Not against Atrella," he said, "She taught me a lot about attacking people. Now that I think of it, if she had wanted him dead, he'd be a tree right now. No, she must want him alive." Suddenly, his eyes widened and he bolted out of the room.  
  
"Wait!" Daine yelled, "Stop!" He did, panting at her, "I have to get the King! Atrella's controlling his mind!"  
  
Daine's eyes widened, but she said, "And what are you going to do about it?"  
  
He thought for a moment. "I'll, I'll beat it out of him!"   
  
She raised her eyebrows at him. "Even if you manage to get past his guards, you'll hurt him more than Atrella. We can't do anything for a week, we just have to be very careful around Jon, and plan out our actions very carefully so that she doesn't notice.  
  
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A/N- bum, bum, bummmmm... The plot thickens! 


	8. The Cloaked Man

Hope everyone enjoyed their summer! Sorry we haven't posted in so long. Hopefully this makes up for it! This chapter starts out kind of confusing, but just stick with it, cause it gets good.  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own any of these characters, except perhaps Atrella, but no one can really own her…  
  
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Kel struggled, but his grip was too strong.  
  
"What's the news with the black mage boy?" the man in the dark cloak holding Kel whispered.  
  
Kel winced as the man tightened his grip on her neck, lifting her off the ground.  
  
"Help..." she tried, but she knew it was in vain. No one was going to be in this corridor at this time of night. Suddenly she saw something.  
  
"Tobe?..." she tried.   
  
A small figure on the ground replied "L-Lady..."  
  
"Shut up!" the cloaked man yelled as he kicked Tobe. "I didn't drag you here to talk to each other, now tell me about the black mage!"  
  
Kel struggled some more, but it was no use. The man was too strong, even for her. "Don't try me, you cur!" he yelled.  
  
"Then try me!" a new voice yelled. Kel turned and saw a short, red headed knight standing a few paces away, sword drawn.  
  
"Don't move, or I'll spill the blood of this slave," the man threatened.  
  
Alanna just gripped the hilt of her sword tighter. "That is no mere slave. She's Lady Knight Sir Keladry of Mindelan, and she's about as likely to tell you about master Salmalín as I would agree to eat a spidren."  
  
Suddenly purple magic snaked around the figure, and solidified to form chains. "You are going straight to the king and you will be punished for this insolence!" she said.  
  
Alanna gave the cloaked man a good shake to emphasize her point, but as she did, the cloak slipped off his head and they all gasped. It was King Jonathan!  
  
Alanna's magic dissolved as the king dropped Kel.  
  
Then suddenly he shook his head and looked at the short knight pointing a sword at his face.  
  
"What are you doing Alanna?" he yelled.  
  
Alanna didn't lower her sword one inch. "What am I doing?" she asked. "Jon, what are you doing?"  
  
He scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked irritably. "A second ago I was taking my morning ride, and now you're trying to kill me!"  
  
"A second ago you were not taking your morning ride," Alanna said, "You were trying to kill Kel!"  
  
His eyes widened. "I did not!" he protested.  
  
"Something is definitely not right here," Kel said. "Let's go see Numair, he might know what's going on."  
  
Alanna nodded. Jon stood up and Alanna kept her sword at his throat the whole time. "Alanna, knock it off!" he said.  
  
"No," she said bluntly, "I'm doing my duty by protecting the country."  
  
"From me? I'm the king!" he shouted.  
  
"How do I know that? You could be an imposter, or under a spell or something. Now, let's move." She said and poked him in the back with the tip of her sword. He made a horrible face, but didn't say anything. Alanna grinned, she was going to enjoy the long walk to Numair's room.  
  
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Note for anyone that likes Jon: We don't. :D 


	9. Capture!

Ahhhh… This is the part in the story when it gets really good.  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own Tortall, Tamora Pierce does.  
  
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"Numair wait!" Daine yelled after him. She panted, trying to keep up to the tall mage.  
  
"We have to see Alanna!" He yelled back to Daine as his lanky form disappeared behind a bend in the corridor. Daine skidded around the corner only to collide with Numair who had stopped dead, in his tracks. Daine peered around him and gasped.  
  
Alanna had King Jonathan pinned up against a wall with her sword at his throat.  
  
"Mithros! What are you doing Alanna!" Daine exclaimed. "Don't hurt him."  
  
"You mean what was Jon doing!" she said defiantly, and then proceeded to tell them about what had happened.  
  
"What are you talking about!" Jon roared, still under Alanna's sword.  
  
"It's Atrella!" Daine explained, "She's controlling his mind."  
  
"Atrella!" Numair yelled as he stepped up to Jonathan. "Atrella!" he yelled again as if he was talking to Jon. "This is exactly what you want! Isn't it! It wasn't a tracking spell on Kel, it was a trap! My magic is gone for a reason!"  
  
Jon grinned. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said with mock innocence.   
  
Alanna brought her sword even closer to Jon's neck than it already was. Quickly with her other hand, she grabbed her necklace. "He's swarming with dark green magic!" she yelled. "What are we going to do? We can't hurt Jon's body..."  
  
Jon started laughing then. "There's nothing you can do," he said, "I'm the King!"  
  
At that moment, he blasted Alanna's sword away from his face, and up in the air, kicking Alanna away so she didn't get it. "Guards! Guards!" he yelled, catching the sword himself. Moments later he was fighting off five people with sword and magic when the guards arrived, looking confused. Then they saw people attacking the King and immediately joined the battle.  
  
"Alive!" Jon yelled, "I want all of them alive!"  
  
A minute later, the squad of guards hand the out-numbered Alanna, Daine, Kel, Tobe, and somehow, even Numair in chains.  
  
"Throw them in the dungeon," Jon said, walking in front of them. He stopped in front of Numair. "Except this one. I'd like a private word with this one."  
  
The leader of this particular group of guards just stared at Jon. "And the lioness sir?" he asked tentatively.  
  
"Her too!" bellowed the King.   
  
Numair didn't struggle as the guards took him in possession. However, Alanna did, and she got a large lump on her head for it.  
  
"I'll save you!" Numair mouthed to Daine, as they started to take her away. She nodded, trusting him, and didn't struggle either.  
  
Numair and Alanna were taken to that same room next to the thrown room again. But this time it was not in comfort, they were plunked into chairs and then bound with magical chains at their hands and feet.  
  
Jon walked in a minute later. "What is she doing here!" he boomed, staring at Alanna. "I said dungeon! What part of dungeon don't you goons understand? Take her there now!" He clapped his hands, and her chains disappeared. The confused, and insulted guards took Alanna and led her off. Jon glared at the remaining two men who were guarding the door. They scrambled out of the room in an instant.  
  
As soon as they were gone, Jon turned to face Numair. He looked the mage squarely in the eyes and said, "Arram Draper, my, my, we have been busy, haven't we?"  
  
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Evil! Evil, Evil Evil! But amusing all the same. 


	10. Expectoration and Intimidation

The chapter in which we learn a lot more about Atrella. Read on!  
  
Disclaimer: Tortall is entirely the creation of the genius, Tamora Pierce  
  
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Numair glared at him. Jon started laughing, undaunted by the death glare of one of the most powerful mages in the world.  
  
Jon then threw his hands above his head. Deep forest green magic came out of his fingers and puddled on the floor. It then grew higher and higher until the magic stopped streaming out of his fingers, and he collapsed. Meanwhile, the mass of green magic was taking shape. Suddenly the green disappeared and a woman was standing there in front of Numair, grinning maliciously.  
  
She was tall, but not quite as tall as he was. She had long, waist-length dark brown hair that was straight and glossy. She had a pleasant face, with full lips, but it was in such a sour expression that you could hardly tell. The main thing about her appearance, however, were her eyes. They were large and the most blinding, piercing deep forest green imaginable.  
  
Atrella smirked as she stepped over Jonathan on her way to Numair. She stopped just in front of him and raised her eyebrows. "I assume you have something to tell me..." she said in a low, powerful voice, with a slight Tusainian accent.  
  
"Atrella!" Numair exclaimed in mock excitement, "How nice to see you after all these years. I missed you too!" he raised one eyebrow at her and continued, "Unfortunately I can't do anything about it, being chained up as I am..."  
  
She came over to him slowly, her green robes dragging on the ground.  
  
"You're avoiding the question, Arram," she said dangerously.  
  
Numair just smirked.  
  
*****  
  
"The walls are fortified with magic. They're three feet thick as well," Alanna said lazily. Daine sat up and the small shadow of a mouse ran across the floor, towards the bars of their dungeon cell.  
  
"There's no cracks...none..." she said.  
  
"And your magic?" Kel asked, "Can't you transform into something?" Kel asked Daine.  
  
"My barrier needs to be reset, but I guess I could..."  
  
"No! Daine...no," Alanna said. "It's not worth it."  
  
"I might be able to fit through there," Tobe said quietly, looking at the bars. "'Less me lady here's been feedin' me too much," he continued, reaching down to pinch his stomach.   
  
"If you want to be burnt to a crisp, go ahead and try it," Alanna said, "I told you the walls are enforced with magic."  
  
"Exactly," Tobe said, "The walls are enforced, but I'm not going through the walls."  
  
Alanna looked up, her lips in a wide grin.  
  
*****  
  
"I can avoid the question if I want to, Atrella," Numair said, "And there's nothing you can do about it. And my name's Numair now, Numair Salmalín."  
  
"I know that very well," she said slowly, "I also know the real reason you changed it." He raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Yes, Arram, I know all about what happened in Pearlmouth all those years ago."  
  
Numair's eyes widened slightly and Atrella smiled triumphantly. "Now," she said, "About this business of avoiding me. You really can't, so-"  
  
King Jonathan chose this moment to groan and sit up, rubbing his head. He turned and saw Atrella and fire blazed in his eyes and started to come out of his fingers, but dark green magic had him pinned arm and leg to a chair before that happened. "Just stop, you silly man, there's nothing you can do, you have absolutely no power against me, not now, not ever. So you get to just sit by and watch your little Kingdom fall to ruin."  
  
Not being able to do anything else, Jon made a motion to spit, but Atrella just smiled, and pointed her finger at him. Green magic flew towards his mouth. His spit stopped dead in his mouth, and he started choking on it. Atrella was laughing so hard and maliciously that Numair felt a pang of fear. She then made a motion and Jon was down on the floor again, knocked out.  
  
Atrella turned and looked at Numair. "Who says I don't have compassion?" she asked innocently. "Why, I just put the poor man out of his misery."  
  
Numair just stared at her.  
  
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Hahahaha! She is so deranged! I love the spit scene though because I wrote that one myself.  
  
I hope everyone likes Atrella, cause we're going to be seeing a lot more of her! 


	11. Complications

Continuing the story with part 11...  
  
Disclaimer: See previous chapters.  
  
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"Tobe, no, it's too dangerous!" Kel exclaimed.  
  
"Well, somebody has to do it!" Tobe yelled in reply. Defiantly, he went right up to the bars and took a deep breath. "Here I go," he said, and with that, he turned his body sideways and inched between the bars.  
  
"Ouch! What was that!" Tobe suddenly yelled.   
  
"What is it!" Everybody yelled in unison.  
  
"There seems to be a wall here, but I can't see one," he said.  
  
"A wall!" Kel said, "But I thought you said the bars weren't magicked."  
  
"They weren't!" Alanna exclaimed, "But I guess they are now."  
  
"Foiled again by Atrella," Daine scowled.  
  
*****  
  
Many corridors away, Myles and Neal were discussing the current situation with mounting anxiety.   
  
"What do you mean?" the old man asked Neal curiously.  
  
"The whole castle is swarming with dark green magic," Neal repeated, "I've seen it myself."  
  
"And the king? What does he think about this?" Myles asked.  
  
"He won't see anyone. This green makes me feel uneasy. I don't think it's the fog either." Neal finished, scowling.  
  
"It's too bad we can't see Jon though," Myles said, "We really can't do anything without his permission. He must have locked everybody out to use the Dominion Jewel to fix the water. I wonder if he's almost done."  
  
"I don't know," Neal said, "But it's a good thing he has that Jewel, or whole country, well, maybe not the whole country, but certainly the whole city is in mortal peril."  
  
Myles sighed, "So Daine's not back yet?" he asked.  
  
Neal shrugged. "I really don't know," he said, "She might be though. I'm going to go find Numair and talk to him. He'll know about Daine and perhaps he'll know what's going on around here."  
  
Myles nodded. "You do that," he said. "I'm going to the Library to see if something like this has ever happened before. Maybe there'll be a clue to stopping this madness in the history books. I'll see you later then."  
  
"Alright, I'll see you later," Neal said back.  
  
They parted, and Neal wandered around the castle for a while, then finally he ended up in front of Daine and Numair's rooms. He knocked, but no one answered. "Numair!" he called, "Numair are you in there?" Still no one answered, so he tried the door. It was open, so he went in.   
  
Neal couldn't find anyone inside either. "I wonder where he is?" he said absently to himself.  
  
*****  
  
"Tell me!" Atrella's shrieks filled the room.  
  
"NO!" Numair choked in pain.  
  
"Don't make me hurt you more, Master Numair!" Atrella mocked, then she continued with malice, "I only want to know Tortall's weak spot!"  
  
"It doesn't have one," Numair lied. "Why do you want to know anyway," he asked, "You already are the king."  
  
Atrella smiled, "Yes," she said, "But that's not enough. I want to be the Queen. What good is it to rule this country if I'm stuck in that awful body. Besides," she said, stroking his face, "If you think ruling this country is all I'm after then you don't know me as well as you think you do."  
  
"You're right, Atrella," Numair said, "I don't know you at all. You're nothing like you were all those years ago."  
  
Her face darkened. "No, I'm not," she said, "Back then I was foolish and weak, but not now. Now I'm strong and I have a plan."  
  
Numair raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'and that is...'  
  
"Don't look at me like that Arram," she said, "I'm not as stupid as I was then, either. I'll tell you one thing though. All my plan needs is Tortall's weak spot. One that you are conveniently keeping from me."  
  
"I told you, there isn't-" Numair started, but Atrella cut him off.  
  
"All kingdoms have one!" she yelled, "You will tell me eventually Arram, even if I have to force it out of you with more than pain!" At this, she leaned close to him, and whispered in his ear, "I know about the girl, Arram. I know about your precious little shape shifter. Even if I don't know Tortall's weak spot, I do know yours." And with that, she clapped her hands and a puff of dark green magic and smoke filled the room.  
  
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Hmmm, Atrella gone, and everyone else is still stuck in the dungeons. And now we know what Atrella's up to. Hopefully I can post more of the story this weekend.  
  
Oh, and special thanks to Fire Mage6 and CrAzYhOrSeGiRl88 for reviewing our story so often. Where would we be without you? 


	12. The Dominion Jewel

Author's Note: How did everyone like Trickster's Choice? Sorry it took so long to post more of this story, but all three of us were so engrossed in Tammy's new book that we didn't have time to post more. As for our story, in regards to Trickster's Choice, everything is going to continue on as planned. Our story is still taking place just after Lady Knight, and we're pretending like Trickster's Choice was never published, just because it would be very hard on our plot line to drag Aly and everyone else in.   
  
So for everyone out there who's pining for Trickster's Queen, maybe reading some Fan Fiction will help tide you over.   
  
Disclaimer: We don't own any of the characters or worlds, they are Tamora Pierce's.  
  
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When smoke had cleared, Numair saw that Atrella had gone, and Jon was groaning in pain.  
  
The chains that had bound Numair to the chair disappeared, and he stood up and ran over to Jon.  
  
"What did you do to me?" Jon moaned.  
  
"Nothing!" Numair replied frantically. "Atrella was here and-"  
  
Jon cut him off, "You're going crazy without your magic, Numair!"  
  
"It's true your majesty! Do you recall anything from the last few hours?"   
  
Jon stopped thoughtfully. "...No...So Atrella was here? And?"  
  
Numair jumped up frantically, "She imprisoned your soul, and used your body as a host for her soul. She ordered Alanna, Kel, Tobe and Daine to the dungeons!"  
  
"Alanna!" Jon roared.  
  
"Yes," Numair exclaimed, "Everyone except for me! She brought me here and interrogated me. She kept asking about Tortall and its weakness, I think she wants to take control of it!"  
  
Jon looked at the mage with almost a hint of amusement in his eyes.  
  
Numair couldn't figure out why, but there were more important problems.   
  
"I said nothing," Numair exclaimed. "I am forever faithful to you and Tortall, sire.  
  
Jon stood still, his back to Numair. After a long pause, he turned around. "You didn't tell her about..." he trailed off.  
  
"The Dominion Jewel's power? No," Numair said, "I figured that you could probably read about that in any good library in Tortall. I don't think that's what she was after."  
  
"What do you think she was after?" Jon asked.  
  
"I think," started Numair, "That it wasn't information about the Dominion Jewel's power she wanted, but rather, the Jewel itself."  
  
Jon knitted his eyebrows. "Explain," he said.  
  
Numair cleared his throat. "I think she found out that The Jewel has other powers besides what you, sire, use it for. I believe that Atrella needs The Jewel for some twisted plot of hers. She can't use it here because everyone would notice, and she can't just steal it, because she wouldn't be able to use it. She isn't the King!   
  
"I think that her ultimate plan is to take over Tortall, and to do so, she needs to control the Jewel herself to use it against us." Again, an almost amused twinkling came into Jon's eye, but left almost a soon as Numair noticed it. "I think that the reason she came here was to find out how to gain control of the Jewel herself," Numair continued. "After being you for a couple of days and not figuring it out, she grew impatient and threatened me. She knew that I had the knowledge to use it, and how it works."  
  
"And you didn't tell her?" Jon asked, concerned.  
  
"Of course not!" Numair said, flustered. "It took me almost a whole year to figure that out myself. Do you really think I'd go blabbing to her?  
  
"No, of course you didn't," Jon said. Then he walked over to a chair and sat down. "Sorry Numair, he muttered, "My head hurts. I don't understand how she could use it anyway."  
  
"All she has to do is take some of your blood, and drip it on The Jewel. Then say the right spell..." He went on to describe the rest of the complicated magical process that would transfer The Jewel to someone else. "The Jewel will be ripe for the picking after it's done," Numair finished.   
  
"See, your highness, that's the part I didn't want to tell Atrella. She is so power hungry that she would do that in a heart beat..." but he trailed off. Jon had stood up suddenly. With a huge grin on his face, he started laughing uncontrollably.  
  
"Sire, I don't think that's very funny. She is really that evil," Numair said.  
  
"I'm not laughing at that," Jon said slowly, and maliciously, his voice full of ice.  
  
"Then what?..." suddenly his eyes bulged, "Atrella!" he bellowed, "You didn't leave! You tricked me!"  
  
"You were always so trusting Arram," she said, "Now it will be your downfall." She pointed her finger at him and green magic streamed out.   
  
For the second time that day Numair blacked out.  
  
"Stupid," Atrella murmured through Jon's mouth. "You're nothing without your magic." She came close to Numair's limp body and ruffled his hair with Jon's hand.  
  
"I'll leave you for now, Arram, but when I come back, even your magic..." she paused, "If it comes back, wont make a difference." Slowly in Jon's body, Atrella bent close to Numair's face and softly kissed his forehead. "Goodbye Arram," she whispered, almost remorsefully.  
  
With that she stood up and called, "Guards!" Someone opened the door.   
  
"This man Numair Salmalín has betrayed the Tortallan crown. Have him put away in the dungeons!" Atrella spat.  
  
The last thing that was seen of King Jonathan that day was a glimpse of him as he strode lazily through the gardens and into the woods...alone.  
  
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Who could see that one coming?   
  
LOL! I love Atrella so much, she is just always one step ahead of Numair and two steps ahead of everyone else. (HINT HINT HINT!!)  
  
What do you think she's going to use The Dominion Jewel for? 


End file.
